Orpheus was the son of Apollo and the Muse Calliope. His father, Apollo played the lyre and one day presented one to Orpheus. He taught Orpheus to play with such perfection that everything living and non living followed him. He tamed beasts with the perfection of his music. No one could resist the power of his notes.
Orpheus then met a beautiful woman named Eurydice. No maiden could resist the power of his lyre, so they were to be wed. They were finally married, but the joy ended there. She started walking in a meadow with her brides mate when suddenly a viper stung her and Eurydice died. When Orpheus found out, he was devastated. Orpheus vowed he would go to the Underworld and get his wife, Eurydice back!
He did the most fearless thing a man ever did for a woman. He found the entrance to the Underworld and made the journey to find Hades. His music was so warm, it softened the heart of even Hades and Persephone. They called in Eurydice and said that Orpheus can have him on one condition. He was not allowed to look back at Eurydice the whole way to the Upper World. They traveled safely all the way to the entrance to the Upper World, but at the last second he thought they were safe, so he looked. All he saw was a glimpse of Eurydice as she returned to the Underworld.
Orpheus was increasingly sad. All he did was play his lyre day in and day out. One day a band of nymphs found him. Orpheus was killed by them and his head was tossed into the Herbus river. In other versions, the listeners one day disliked the music he was playing and stoned him to death. The Muses found his head and all his limbs and placed them in a tomb. They placed the tomb on the foot of Mt. Olympus, so everyone and everything can hear his beautiful singing voice.
3455555.jpg)
